It is SPRING!

They tell me that it is spring! The snow is going but then it just came. And worse still the clocks changed. I hate when they do that. It is hard on my fibromyalgia. My body doesn't like changes like that. I get cranky and hurt.

But I do have the new class listing up and there are some exciting classes, I think. Kathryn McGonaghie is finishing up her Not So Basic, Basic Mitten class. The student got a real deal in that class. Kathy worte a small book for the pattern and included some fun techniques in it.

Next Carolyb Bergman is teaching a Hooded Cable Sweater class. She is using a Penny Straker pattern that has a companion adult version too.

I am teaching a simple mohair jacket class using a Very Simple Vogue pattern. A very cute sweater that is a great introduction to sweater knitting.

I am also teaching a fun, easy and quick double knitting class. The pattern is for a I-Pod or cell phone pouch. Luck Neatby generously offered to let us use a pattern that she sent out in her newsletter.

And we are offering our Ops! classes again. These are short technique orientated classes that help people learn the basics of trouble shotting their knitting problems.

All this is either already on the website or will be shortly.

We have managed to get to dog school every class this week. In the last few weeks the weather has managed to keep us away from at least one class a week. But Tue. Lilian passed her Canine Good Citizen test and Winnie passed first grade - known to the rest of the world as beginning obedience.

i have dusting to do so better run. But check the classes on th class page on the website.

We are shoveled out now!

We are finally shoveled out. This was our classroom door Fri. morning. Emma was upset that she couldn't go out until we opened the door and she found that the snow was over her head at the bottom of the door. Bo had to shovel a trench around the girl's fence as the snow was as high as the fence and the girls could just run right over the top and there would be no stopping them. We haven't had anything like this for awhile now and to some new folks and even some of the kids in the area, this was all new.

So I used the time to get new pages ready for the website. I did take part of Fri. off as they were asking people to stay off of the roads and even the mall was closed. The new Pattern page is up but I am not sure if the new Tools page is on the site yet.
By Sat. people were moving around and by Sun. the snow was melting and settling. Of course, we still have tons of snow piled around us and some where in the piles is the shop's Open/Closed sign. It blew away during the strong winds.
We postponed the weekend's mitten class until the weekend of March 17 & 18. This will give some folks that didn't sign up a second chance to do so. Next Sat. is the Women's Expo in Duluth and I will be at the shop's booth there. Now if I can get over this cold that I managed to get, I will be much happier!

Another Blizzard!

I can't believe it we have the second official blizzard in a week. One of the strange things about the official definition of a blizzard is that the temps have to fall. Normally, in MN when it snows the temps rise. I learned this when my husband was a grad student and we lived in NJ. I went through more official blizzards in four year in NJ then I had living most of my life, up to then, in MN. All because of which way the temps went when it snowed. But now we have had two blizzards in less then a week and we aren't done yet with this one. By all accounts, it will be worse tomorrow.

I am not sure how much snow we have had but it is plenty! I can't tell if it is still snowing or the wind is just blowing around the snow that has already fallen. And there are times that I think that the shop roof will blow off. The driving has been so bad all week that hardly anyone has been in the shop. People are taking it seriously when they tell us not to drive unless it is necessary. My daughter went to the grocery store yesterday and had to park a distance away, people were stocking up. But we plan for winter. We have enough food in the house to feed a family of five plus. The last kid moved out almost 17 years ago, but we still think that everyone is still home and some of their friends may be snowed in with us so we need plenty of food..

And I have been coming into work each morning whether anyone could get here or not. I have been using the time wisely. Unfortunately not in the way that I always plan on for a Blizzard! MN knitters have 'Blizzard Projects'. These have been saved for these occasions. They are cherished projects waiting for us to be snowed in. Mine are still waiting. But I have a revised Products Page on the web site. And today the new Patterns Page went up complete with pictures. A few minutes ago, I sent the new Tools Page to my web guy and it will go up soon. For tomorrow, I have the New Kits page to start. And my precious Blizzard Projects are still in their baskets waiting.

Hopefully, I can add some pictures to this blog tomorrow! The porch is covered with snow and so is the girls' agility equipment. The tire swing is half covered by snow and Bo is going to take down the snow levels around the Girls' yard so they can't walk over their fence. There are places where the snow is reaching the top of the fence. Our girls aren't agility dogs for nothing!

Now I need to go see to the peas. Tomorrow is pea soup day. Another MN blizzard tradition is that every family has their special blizzard food. Of course we don't call any of these things 'blizzard food' or 'blizzard projects' we just refer to them as 'storm food' and 'storm projects'. We just don't get that many blizzards, just storms. Maybe Global Warming will give us more blizzards.